The world's oldest organization of freemasons is known for their white aprons, arcane symbols and secret handshake. Freemasonry has been shrouded in mystery despite its longevity. The organization's practices may seem cult-like to outsiders.
Time says that some of this is due to Freemasons' reluctance to speak about their rituals to outsiders. Many popular movies and books, such as Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", have fostered misconception or depicted the order in an unflattering light.
Freemasonry has a long and complex history. Politicians, engineers, scientists, writers, inventors and philosophers are some of its members. Many of these members have played important roles in world events.
What is Freemasonry?
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The image is from the photo by Keith Lance.
illustration of large meeting of group of free masons
According to a report by the BBC, Freemasonry is the world's largest such organization, with an estimated 6 million members. A fraternal organization is composed almost solely of men who gather together for mutual benefit frequently for professional or business reasons. Nowadays, women can be Freemasons as well.
The Freemasons are dedicated to loftier goals as well. Margaret Jacob said that the members of the group have often been associated with 18th century Enlightenment principles such as anti-monarchism and republicanism.
This isn't to say that Freemasonry isn't religious. Jacob said that its members are encouraged to believe in a supreme being, which in the parlance of Masonry is known as the "Grand Architect of the Universe".
Why does Christianity have so many denominations?
Jacob says the Grand Architect is similar to a Deistic creator rather than a personal God. The idea that the supreme being is like a deity that created the universe but doesn't play an active role in the lives of its creations is promoted by the concept of Deism.
The behavior of members is guided by a code of ethics. The most famous of which is the "Old Charges" or "Constitutions" is the source of this code. The oldest document to mention Masonry is said to be the "Regius Poem" or the "Halliwell Manuscript", which was dated around the late 14th or early 15th century. Correct moral behavior for Masons is prescribed in the Halliwell Manuscript, which is written in verse. It encourages members to be reliable and not to take bribes.
Freemasonry and Christianity have had a complicated relationship. Some orthodox Christians don't like the idea of Freemasonry's Deism and its ties to paganism.
The Catholic Church has been a critic. Jacob wrote that a Papal decree prevented Catholics from becoming Freemasons. The Papal ban on Freemasonry is still in place, despite the Church declaring it "irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church," according to the Vatican.
When did Freemasonry start?
An etching, dated 1733, shows a group of Freemasons meeting.
The subject of Freemasonry is rife with myth and speculation. Jacob says that the Freemasons are descended from the builders of the First Temple in Jerusalem. According to Sky History, others have argued that the Freemasons began as a Catholic military order.
The order was traced to the ancient Egyptians and Celtic Druids by the American revolutionary Thomas Paine. Jacob wrote that there is a longstanding rumor that the Freemasons are the same as the Illuminati, an 18th-century secret society that began in Germany. Some people still believe in some of the theories.
Jacob told Live Science that freemasonry has its roots in the stonemasons of medieval Europe. The Gothic cathedrals of Notre Dame in Paris and Westminster Abbey in London were built by the guilds during the 14th century.
Like many craft guilds of that time, its members jealously guarded their secrets and were secretive about who they chose as apprentices. New members were usually taught advanced mathematics and architecture during the long training period. Jacob said that experienced Freemasons were often sought out by monarchs or high-ranking church officials.
She said that the guilds gave members wage protection and quality control, as well as important social connections. The headquarters of the Masons were lodges, where members socialized, partook in meals and gathered to discuss the events and issues of the day.
Jacob wrote that the guild system broke down with the rise of capitalism and the market economy. The Masonic lodges are still alive. The guilds began to recruit non-masons in order to raise funds. Wealthy individuals and men of high social status were included in the new recruits.
Many of the new members were "learned gentlemen" who were interested in the trends that were transforming the European intellectual landscape at the time, such as rationalism, the scientific method andNewtonian physics. The men were interested in how to build moral character. Speculative Freemasonry began in the 17th century. Jacob said that the lodges became meeting places for men dedicated to and associated with liberal Western values because of the modernized form of Masonry.
She said that freemasonry grew out of the early 18th century in England and Scotland. In 1717, the members of four separate London lodges came together to form the premier Grand Lodge of England. The focal point of British Masonry was the Grand Lodge. There were Masonic lodges all over Europe, from Spain and Portugal in the west to Russia in the east. It was established in the North American colonies during the first half of the 18th century.
At the height of the Enlightenment, Freemasonry had a lot of social cachet. Jacob said that being a Mason signaled that you were at the forefront of knowledge.
It wasn't always welcomed. The Anti-Masonic Party formed in the United States in the 1830s, according to the Washington Post. The nation's original third political party was dedicated to counteract what they believed was Freemasonry's political influence. President Abraham Lincoln's secretary of state began his political career as an anti-Masonic candidate.
Is it possible for women and minorities to become Freemasons?
A group of female masons in 1933.
The "Old Charges" states that the Masonic lodges were exclusively male and that women were not allowed to join. The principle that reflected the social arrangements of the time continued for many decades in Great Britain.
Women began to play active roles in the organization on the European mainland. Jacob said that so-called "lodges of adoption" began to appear in France in the 1740s. The lodges admitted a mixture of men and women, mostly the wives, daughters and female relatives of the male Masons. They were attached to the traditional male lodges and were not fully independent. In the United States, lodges of adoption sprang up.
Both men and women were admitted to Masonic organizations as full members. The Order of the Amaranth, the Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, and the Order of the Eastern Star are some of the organizations. Both men and women can hold positions of authority and leadership in these organizations.
The highest ranking woman in the Order of the Eastern Star is known as the "Worthy Matron". The International Order of Rainbow for Girls and the Order of Job's Daughters are two Masonic-related girls' and young women's organizations that are active today. According to Masonry Today, the Rainbow Girls are dedicated to service and charity and are a part of the Order of the Eastern Star.
A California native who asked to remain anonymous was a member of the Rainbow Girls. She said she was never made to feel inferior because she was a member of a female organization. She told Live Science that they were independent. We always made our own decisions. The organization gave me a glimpse of a utopian society because we were very democratic. The organization was well run.
Female Masons are still active in charity, education and character-building despite the fact that traditional Masons are still exclusively men.
Similar to its relationship with women, Freemasonry in the United States has had a complicated history with ethnic minorities. The Boston, Massachusetts Lodge was founded after the Revolutionary War, and a few free Black colonists, including a man named Prince Hall, petitioned for membership.
Hall received a charter from the Grand Lodge in England after being denied. The first African American Masonic lodge in the United States was the basis for many other Black lodges. The lodges were named in honor of the founder, who was black.
The mainstream lodges have been trying to integrate non-white ethnic minorities despite Masonic codes that do not strictly prohibit the membership of non-white ethnic minorities. Attempts to integrate the mainstream lodges have been unsuccessful. Jacob said that most liberal lodges just go with whoever shows up.
The New York Times reported that attempts to integrate some lodges in the southeastern United States have met with opposition from some white members.
Freemasons are famous.
Benjamin Franklin is a famous Freemason.
According to Business Insider, Simn Bolvar, known as the "liberator of South America", is one of several prominent historical figures who have been Freemasons. Mozart became a Mason in 1784. His opera, "The Magic Flute," is a paean to his Masonic beliefs.
George Washington, Paul Revere, and other notable American revolutionaries and presidents were Freemasons according to historian Steven Bullock in his book "Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order, 1730-1840". In 1734, Franklin became the Grand Master of the Philadelphia Lodge and was one of the first Freemasons.
There are some symbols of Freemasonry.
Most non-Masons don't understand the signs and symbols in the world of Freemasonry. The compass and square are the universally recognizable symbols of the organization. They can be found on the aprons worn by Masons during rituals.
According to an online dictionary of Masonic symbols, most Masons believe that these two objects are meant to represent how a Mason should conduct himself. The square indicates that a man should be honest and transparent in his dealings. The compass reminds us to engage in moderation and not to get carried away by life's vices.
Masonic symbols are meant to invoke ideals, remind members of correct modes of conduct and behavior, and impart important lessons.
The former-Rainbow Girl said that the symbols of freemasonry have to do with ethics.
Cracking codices are 10 of the most mysterious ancient manuscripts.
Is Masonic still relevant?
According to a 2020 article, Freemasonry is in decline.
Jacob said that the lodges were having a hard time recruiting men. Most young men don't accept distinctions such as places for men and places for women.
Membership in lodges has dropped and the pull to join an exclusive, privileged enclave of men does not carry the attraction it once did. Many Masonic lodges in the U.S. are no longer open.
Competition from similar organizations has been one of the reasons for the decline. It is possible that this decline can be explained by the different values of the newer generations, which are often at odds with the previous generations.
Jacob said that the problem of decline was caused by the current composition of the lodges. She noted that most members are between the ages of 50 and 60 and hold very conservative politics. She said that this has no appeal to the younger generation. The armed services are integrated by race and gender, but not the lodges.
There are additional resources.
The Infographics Show has a short animated video about what Freemasons do. In this video from the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, you can learn more about Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and how it represents his initiation into Freemasonry. The Masonic Temple in Washington D.C. was described in 2007.
There is a bibliography.
Dan Brown wrote "The Da Vinci Code".
The rituals and benefits of membership are explained by freemasons.
Margaret C Jacob wrote "The Origins of Freemasonry: Facts and Fictions".
Pietre-Stones reviewed the religious poem.
The Vatican has a declaration on Masonic Associations.
"Black Freemasonry" is a book by Cécile Révauger.
The New York Times reported on the message of Masons in Georgia Lodges.
The Magic Flute is a story about Mozart and the Masons.
Steven Bullock wrote "Revolutionary Brotherhood: Freemasonry and the Transformation of the American Social Order" in 1998.
The Masonic Chronology of Benjamin Franklin was written by Julius F. Sachse. The second issue of 30, No. 2 was published in 1906.
The Washington Post reported on how an abduction by the mysterious Freemasons led to a third political party.
The Handbook of Freemasonry was written by Jessica Harland-Jacobs.
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